What really makes the world go ‘round

Al Faisaliyah Tower, which along with the Kingdom Tower, is one of two skyscrapers that define the Riyadh skyline

They say it’s money, of course, but if you spend any time in Saudi Arabia, it quickly becomes apparent that in this part of the world at least, it’s oil. Last night I went to the top of the Kingdom Tower, a 100-story skyscraper built a few years ago by Prince Alwaleed bin Talal. The entire city splays out in all directions, a blanket of lights unfurled toward the horizon.

Seventy years ago, there was no tower, no lights, and almost all of the land visible from my perch was empty desert. A local Saudi official told me yesterday as we toured a new museum here that he considers oil a miracle. Saudi Arabia was a country without any other sources of wealth – no rich farmland for agriculture, no industry. Here in Riyadh, you can see that miracle writ in concrete, steel and glass.

Now, the Saudi government is working to diversify the kingdom’s economy, developing chemical and manufacturing as part of an effort to decrease its sole dependence on oil.

Looking over the Riyadh skyline, though, it’s difficult to comprehend the speed with which change occurred here. Oil transformed this city from desert to metropolis in a matter of decades. Money may make the world go ’round, but the bearings of its axis are greased with oil.